Guard rail



Ju1y14,1931. GRTARBQX 1,814,868

GUARD RA I L Filed June 5, 1928 INVENToR.

eoryeff. Tarax zmlwwqwm ATTORNEYS.

Patented July i4, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE R. TARBOX, FTROY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 THE EASTERN MALLEAIBLE IRON COMPANY, OF.'BBIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT GUARD RAIL.application med :une 5, 1928. serial nu. 282,918.

My invention relates to improvements in safety guard rails or highwayfences designed to be erected along the side of State roads, especiallyalong the sides of curves and dan- '5 gerous places in the road, with avlew of functioning as a resilient guard to prevent vehicles from goingoff the road.

The purpose of the invention is to rovide a form of guard rail whichwill be su ciently strong to prevent automobiles or trucks from crashmthrough it and yet suiiciently resilient to e compressed and absorb theshock and cause the automobile to re-bound and be deflected back ontothe roadway with comparatively little damage to the guard rail orvehicle.

A further object of the invention is to employ a series oflongitudinally stretched wire cables to form the rail, and to include 2oimproved means for yieldably supportlng said cables, one above the otherat desired intervals, in a manner to form a continuous guard or fence.Also to particularly provide a novel form of post, supports andanchorage, which will permitthe structure to be set up in either astraight or curved line, in stretches of considerable length or ifpreferred in shorter lengths, the end portions of which could bearrangedto overlap each other or at least positioned closely adjacent toeach other.

The invention further includes automatic tightening devices wherebytension at all times retains the cables tight and especially to providefor thermal changes and variable conditions of the atmosphere.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists ofthe novel construction, combination and arrangements of parts, ashereafter more fully described and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but it is tobe understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resortedto which come Within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote correspondingparts throughout the several figures:

50 Fig. 1 shows a front elevation of a broken line of the guard railtogether with required footings therefor as embodied in my inventionFig. 2 is a sectional elevation of one of the fence posts and itsmovable supporting arm for carrying the cables; and

Fig. 3 shows a sectional plan viewk taken` on line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

The more common form of guard rails employed today along state highwaysare made of wood, and in the majority of instances" comprise heavy woodposts set in the ground, and to which planks are secured, in a way toform a strong durable fence of pleasing appearance. While these fencesor guard rails are usually attractive, yet as a result of several yearsof use, it has developed that they are more or less objectionable, sinceunder certain conditions when they are struck the rails have been knownto break and stick into a car in a manner to seriously damage themachine and injure the occupants.

It is therefore generally considered that a wood form of rail, put up inmost any manner, is not the safest and best construction and isobviously not as desirable as a post and' cable structure, since a cablewhen properly supported and anchored, affords an ideal bu'er and underno ordinary conditions would break, as does a wooden rail. It will yieldmore or less according to the blow received and the form andconstruction of the anchorage, thereby causing a car to re-bound back onthe road.

Should these end anchorages give or pull out of the ground, they wouldnot allow the cables to pull back very much, probably only enough tohold the car on the embankment.

. Knowing the advantages of the use of the cables in this connectionover wood rails, I have devised what I feel arel desirable and practicalforms of supporting posts for the cables and also reliable anchors foryieldably connecting the ends of the cables thereto.

In this connection it will be observed that the guard rail, aside fromthe cables and springs, is of relatively heavy construction, anddesigned to be made of malleable iron, thus insurin strength anddurability. Concrete is pre erably used as a filling for the posts inorder to render them heavier, more solid and rigid, and is alsopreferably used as a ground footing for the anchorage of bolts used tosecure the posts and end cable anchors in position.

The guard rail may obviously bemade up in any desired lengths thusemploying a variable number lof posts or supports, at suitable distancesapart, for supporting the cables at intermediate points. The single endanchorage employed at the ends for the attachment of the cables are oflike const-ruction, and like the posts are suitably secured to concretefootings. The posts like the anchorages may be of like construction, andare preferably formed of malleable iron, thus adapting them to theconstruction of a guard rail of any desired length.

Referring in detail to the characters of reference marked upon thedrawings, 10 represents the end anchors which as before suggested may beof like construction, and include a suitably proportioned upright havinga flanged base 11 With holes therethrough to receive the anchor bolts 12secured within the concrete footing 13. The upper threaded end portionof these bolts which extends through the holes of the fianged base ofthe cable anchors 10 receive nuts 14 by means of which the cable anchorsare firmly secured to the footing. i

A longitudinal hole 15 is provided in the upper end portion of thesecable anchors to accommodate a horizontally positioned andlongitudinally movable bolt 16 having a head 17 upon one end and a nut18 upon the other. A spiral spring 19 is positioned upon this bolt withone end seated against the anchors and the other end against a collar 2Omounted upon the boltland against the nut 18 whereby the.

collar is--rendered movable against the action of the spring forproviding the required tension.

A suitable U-shaped yoke 21 is mounted upon the head end of the bolt 16and between said head and a side of the cable anchor. This yokeaccommodates a suitable pin 22 upon which a pair of rollers 23 may bemounted between the arms of the yoke and for the attachment of thecables 24 and 25. Any number of cables may of course be used, in whichcase it would simply be necessary to provide a wider yoke and additionalrolls.

27 represents the posts which are originally formed hollow, preferablyround or pipe-like and supported in a cast base 28, the flange of whichis provided with holes 29 to receivebolts 30 embedded in the concrete 31which would be poured in suitable openings in the ground. The posts mayobviously be of any desired height and are each provided with asupporting pin 32 that is positioned crosswise through the center of theposts with its end portions projecting slightly from the peripheralface. The inside of the pipe may next be filled with concrete asindicated by 33.

Bracket 34 having horizontally disposed arms 35 that are provided withvertical holes 36 to fit the posts, are hingedly supported upon thepost. The inner wall of the lower arm of the bracket is provided with anannular groove 37 to receive the projected ends of the pin and to permitthe arm to turn upon the post. This arm is also provided in its oppositewalls with vertical grooves 38 which intersect with the annular grooveand permit the arm to sli and the ends of the pins to pass up into theannular groove after which the arm may be swung around at a right angleto the position shown in Figs. 4 and 5. This obviously forms aninterlocking engagement of the post and arm which prevents the latterfrom being removed except when the cable is not connected.

The upper arm of the bracket is provided with a bore of two diameters,the larger one to receive the end portion of the post and whereby theend proper forms a support for the annular shoulder 39 formed within theupper arm, this serves as the principal support for the bracket upon thearm. cap 40 includes a shouldered flanged portion to fit into thesmaller bore of the upper arm of the bracket and to set upon the annulartop edge thereof.

The bracket 34 further includes a pair of outwardly disposed arms 41 towhich yokes 42 are attached by means of pins 43. The said arm and yokeforming an eye 44 to receive the cable which is supported therein.

In. erecting this fence these arms carried upon the posts should beprojected at a rightangle and in alignment one with the other so thatthe cables would extend direct from one support to another and at equaldistances apart.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In a safety guard rail of the class described, a series of roundposts each having a pin-therein, a bracket for each post, each brackethaving a hole to receive the post and having a groove to receive the pin1n a way to permit of interlocking rotatable connection of bracket topost.

2. In a safety guard rail of the class described, a round post, abracket having an upper and lower opening to receive the post andforming a swinging connection therewith, one of said openings includingan annular shoulder to rest upon a shoulder of the post in a way tosupport the bracket thereon, and means for attaching cables to saidbracket.

3. In a safety guard rail of the class described, a round post having apin projecting therefrom, a bracket having an opening down upon thepostlos to receive the post, a slot disposed longitudinally of thebracket to receive the pin, an inner annular groove within the bracketand intersecting said slot to receive the pinv in a way to form aninterlocking rotatable connection of bracket to post.

4. In a safety guard railoi the class described, the combiantion with around post having a pin therein, a bracket having an upper and loweropening to receive the post and to form a swinging connection therewith,said bracket including an annular shoulder in one of said openings torest upon the top of the post in a way to support the bracket thereon,said bracket also having a groove in the other of said openings toreceive the pin in a way to form an interlocking rotatable connection ofthe bracket to the ost. p 5. In a safety guard rail of the classldescribed, a post comprising a base, av pipe mounted therein, a llingof concrete within s the pipe, ay bracket having an upper and lower armeach with an opening to receive the post and forming a swingingconnection therewith, the upper one of said arms in cluding an annularshoulder to rest upon the top end of the pipe, a cap to cover theopening -in the upper arm, and an interlocking rotatable connectionbetween the lower of the bracket and the post.

Signed at Troy, in the county of' Rens'-4 GEORGE R. TARBOX.

